Abstract
BackgroundAn understanding of the conservation status of Madagascar's endemic reptile species is needed to underpin conservation planning and priority setting in this global biodiversity hotspot, and to complement existing information on the island's mammals, birds and amphibians. We report here on the first systematic assessment of the extinction risk of endemic and native non-marine Malagasy snakes, lizards, turtles and tortoises.Methodology/Principal FindingsSpecies range maps from The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species were analysed to determine patterns in the distribution of threatened reptile species. These data, in addition to information on threats, were used to identify priority areas and actions for conservation. Thirty-nine percent of the data-sufficient Malagasy reptiles in our analyses are threatened with extinction. Areas in the north, west and south-east were identified as having more threatened species than expected and are therefore conservation priorities. Habitat degradation caused by wood harvesting and non-timber crops was the most pervasive threat. The direct removal of reptiles for international trade and human consumption threatened relatively few species, but were the primary threats for tortoises. Nine threatened reptile species are endemic to recently created protected areas.Conclusions/SignificanceWith a few alarming exceptions, the threatened endemic reptiles of Madagascar occur within the national network of protected areas, including some taxa that are only found in new protected areas. Threats to these species, however, operate inside and outside protected area boundaries. This analysis has identified priority sites for reptile conservation and completes the conservation assessment of terrestrial vertebrates in Madagascar which will facilitate conservation planning, monitoring and wise-decision making. In sharp contrast with the amphibians, there is significant reptile diversity and regional endemism in the southern and western regions of Madagascar and this study highlights the importance of these arid regions to conserving the island's biodiversity.
Highlights
Reptiles represent a major component of vertebrate species richness in the tropics, and are the predominant group in many rainforest, arid and montane habitats [1,2,3], with a species richness pattern mainly influenced by temperature on a global scale [4,5,6,7]
This study highlights the major threats to Malagasy reptiles and identifies the remaining areas of native vegetation of most importance to conserving threatened reptiles, as well as demonstrating the important role that the island’s new protected areas are making.As the original assessments for this study were carried out in a workshop in early 2011, new species described and taxonomic changes proposed
This study shows the importance of the new suite of protected areas, both in conserving overall reptile species richness and to the survival of particular Critically Endangered species
Summary
Reptiles represent a major component of vertebrate species richness in the tropics, and are the predominant group in many rainforest, arid and montane habitats [1,2,3], with a species richness pattern mainly influenced by temperature on a global scale [4,5,6,7]. While the threat status of other tetrapods (mammals, birds and amphibians) have been reviewed at a global scale based on full species sampling [8,9,10], reptiles (with the exception of turtles and crocodilians) have traditionally received much less attention from conservationists (but see [11]). This is the case for cryptic, rare and burrowing species that are difficult to sample (e.g., [12,13]). We report here on the first systematic assessment of the extinction risk of endemic and native non-marine Malagasy snakes, lizards, turtles and tortoises
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